What should my 12weeks old Dutch bunnies eat!

[kissa1001]

Hello everyone, I just bought 2 bunnies 3 days ago, they are 12 weeks old and are brothers. They are Dutch breed. 1 is 1lb 14oz, another is 1lb 5oz. The one that is larger starts humping on another one. So I want the neuter and spay them, but the vet says they should be above 2lb to be spayed. So I guess I should feed them more, although they seem not skinny at all. Now I feed them with unlimited timothy hay, 1 cup of vegies(parsley, kale, romaine lettuce) for each, 1/4 cup pellets for each. But I read on some internet sources that for bunnies less than 1 year I should give them unlimited pellets. So please advice me what would be their ideal diet. I will be very appreciated. Thanks

[Pongo]

Hi!

For young bunnies like that you want to give them unlimited hay and unlimited pellets because there constantly growing so they need lots of fiber to help them and become stronger so free feeding them is the best way to go. Just like any other animal like a kitten or puppy their constantly growing so they need lots of protein to help them become strong and healthy. I suggest not giving him veggies everyday or so many different veggies cause their so young and you could upset their GI system you could start slowing introduceing some veggies when their a couple months old or if you do want to feed them veggies at this age I suggest just feeding them 1 or 2 but you don’t want to feed them anything that grows in ball like iceberg lettuce.

[kissa1001]

Pongo, they are 3 month old, you mentioned I can feed them with vegies when they are couple month. So is it okay or not? And untill what age should I start to limit their pallets portion?

[tobyluv]

Rabbits are usually transitioned to an adult diet when they are around 6 months old or a little later. At that point, they should change from alfalfa based pellets to timothy based pellets, and you would give them certain quantities based on weight. They should have unlimited hay of course. Rabbits can start on greens when they are 3 months old, but you should go slowly and only try a new kind every few days or once a week. Very young bunnies can have unlimited pellets, but you don’t want to overfeed them and keep refilling the bowl repeatedly if they seem to be eating too many pellets.

Are you sure that you have 2 males? Even if they are the same gender, at their age they need to be separated. They are entering puberty and dealing with all the hormones that brings. Even with the same gender and no threat of pregnancy, they can become aggressive and fight. They can severely injure each other when fighting, and they can hold a grudge, which might mean that they wouldn’t be able to bond in the future. Separate them now, but keep them in the same room. After their neuter surgeries and a month to allow the hormones to be flushed out, you can rebond them.

[kissa1001]

tobyluv, Thanks, I havent checked if they are both males or not, but pet store told me that they are males. Right now they seems very friendly with each other, they put their head toward each other and lying in relax position together, they freely running in my house now, so do you think I should make one more hide out to separate them? I really want to get them spayed and neutered, but they are not 2lbs yet. I don’t know how long will it take for them to grow to 2 lbs. Thats why I’m thinking about increment their pellets portions, but still I dont want them to obese.
Secondly, I want to make sure if my current diet is normal:
Unlimited timothy hay,
1/2 cup pellets/day,
1/2 cup of vegies(which they really love: parsley, cilantro, wheat grass, kale)
1/2 inch of carrot for black one, and 1/4 inch of apple for grey.

Their poop seems normal, they are rounded and have slightly dark brown color, their pee is light yellow.

[Luna]

Hi! There was another member on this site who got two buns and was told they were the same sex, but then all of a sudden kits were born, so just to be safe you might want to put them in two separate cages but near each other . Regarding your diet: unlimited hay (good), 1/2 cup pellets (the norm is unlimited until around 6 months), 1/2 cup veggies (if your buns have been digesting them without issue then it should be ok to continue that small amount), carrot/apple/fruits (should be given very sparingly regardless of age – if you are already giving them veggies then I would discontinue the carrot/apple until at least 6 months of age).

[kissa1001]

Luna, thanks a lot! I will stop feeding carrot/apple then. i just read that every morning I should give them a treat that they love to check if they are happy. I would like to check their gender, but since we know each other only for 4 days, they dont trust me to carry them yet, just pet and groom, they even dont let me touch their feet to nail trim. But yes, I will separate their cages today. Thanks

[BanditCamp]

I normally give bandit a good handful of alfalfa every morning and night on top of whatever he doesn’t eat. I also use a 1/4 cup of pellets from oxbow when I see him run low. As for a treat I got a 99 cent pack of mint from a farmers market and washed it and give him a whole stem (3-4 inches with leaves) as a reward or treat.

My rabbit normally hops around and loafs about and plays but that’s how I feed him

[tobyluv]

Pet store clerks usually know very little about rabbits and they have often told people that they had two of the same sex, then a litter was born not too long afterwards. Some people even end up with 2 litters because they didn’t realize that the female was pregnant and they kept her with the male. A rabbit can get pregnant immediately after giving birth, and that’s how people sometimes end up with 2 unplanned litters.

As I said before, once rabbits reach puberty, they should be separated even if they are the same sex, to prevent possible fighting and injuries, so it’s good that you are doing that.

It may be a little early to start seeing testicles, but you could try holding a sprig of a veggie over their heads to make them stand up and try to get a look at their private areas without touching them.

[kissa1001]

tobyluv, so I have separated their living areas, but still, when I’m home, I open the cage so they can freely run in my room. Should I still keep that or should I get them inside cage always until they get neutured/spayed?
Thanks

They are standing to ask food always, but I dont see anything, maybe they are too fluffy…

[tobyluv]

It would be better if you let them out separately to run and exercise. If they do happen to be the opposite sex, it only takes a few seconds for them to mate with a resulting pregnancy. It would be almost impossible to watch them carefully enough to prevent that, when it is so quick. I know that there was another member here who separated her bunnies in different cages, but she let them out to play together, never knowing that they had mated, until she was presented with a litter a few weeks later.

If your bunnies are the same gender, you wouldn’t have that worry, but you would need to be with them as they played together, in case a scuffle suddenly broke out.

Were you planning to take them in for a checkup at the vet any time soon? Even vets can sometimes have trouble sexing a rabbit, but hopefully he or she could determine the gender. Since you just got the bunnies, you may not want to hold them long enough to examine them yourself, since we all know that bunnies don’t usually like being held, or being turned over to be looked at. It’s possible that you could take a quick look at them to see if you spotted any differences or if they both looked the same. But it’s understandable if you don’t want to do that yet.

[kissa1001]

I have checked their buts. They seems to be both male…But I havent noticed any agressive signs at all. I mean they licking each other and love to laying next to each other, just accept 1 fact that the bigger one(Shiloh) humping on the smaller bunny(Electron) and Electron seems to like it, he doesnt move and lying parallel to the floor. I have put my hand between them and seems like they are not having actual “sex”. Can rabbits be gay?

By the way, anybody know how fast do Dutch bunnies grow, I cant wait to neuter my bunnies, but they should be 2 lb. For now Shiloh is 1lb15oz and Electron 1lb5oz

[kissa1001]

So I have started feeding my bunnies unlimited pellets yesterday, they ate about 1 cup of pellets. And today morning I noticed 1 strange poop among others. Type 4.

https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/converted_files/Portals/0/activeforums_Attach/Bunny_Stool_Chart.png 

is it still normal?

[Luna]

I don’t know but I’ve never seen that before. I can’t imagine the pellets doing that though. What is the exact name of the pellets labeled on the bag? Did they eat any new veggie yesterday/today?

[kissa1001]

They havent eat any new vegies, except maybe I gave them a little bit more of wheat grass, they love it and kept asking me for more. I give them wheat grass as a treat

I bought pellets from the pet store that sold me buns, and they where priced per lb and dont have any labels. The pet store said that they give my buns same pellets, thats why I decided to buy from them. But I read that for baby buns its better to give alfalfa-based pellets. I’m thinking about purchasing those pellets: https://www.chewy.com/oxbow-essentials-bunny-basics-young/dp/123561 .Also I give them Oxbow western timothy hay. What do you think?

[Luna]

I would definitely switch out the pellets. I think the pellets in your link would be perfect – Oxbow is a very respectable brand. The only think I’m not sure of is if you have to slowly introduce them to the new pellets or if you can switch them out right away. I would integrate the new pellets slowly just to be on the safe side – mix in 25% new pellets with 75% current pellets in the same bowl for 3-5 days, then 50/50 for 3-5 days, etc. And be sure to change over to timothy based pellets once your buns reach 6 months of age.

[kissa1001]

Gotcha, just ordered, will receive new pellets next week. Thanks a lot. By the way do you know how fast dutch rabbits grow? Like what age they typically achieve 2 lb? I cant wait to get them spayed.

[Luna]

Sorry, I have no idea. I would think that they would reach “full size” by adulthood at the latest? (around 6 months of age)

[Author]

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